Forever Her Champion by Suzan Tisdale Page A

to Aiden, she placed one hand on his waist, whilst her other held tightly to her sgian dubh. ’Twas then she realized Aiden was not wearing his sword. Dread consumed her as her gaze fell upon the sword that rested against their packs a good seven or eight feet away.
    “Then have ye a coin or two to spare?” The man made his way to the fire as if he were nothing more than a passing stranger.
    “Nay,” Aiden answered, holding his empty palms up. “We be as poor as church mice.”
    The man to their left continued to stare at Rianna, licking his lips all the while. Repulsed, she turned away to look around Aiden’s shoulders at the man at the fire. He squatted down and warmed his hands over the licking flames. “That be a right shame,” he said. “A right shame.”
    “Ye’re more than welcome to warm yerselves by the fire,” Aiden said, casting a glance toward the other men. “But me wife and I were just getting ready to turn in for the night. We have travelled long and far this day.”
    The man ignored him. “We have nae eaten in days. And we’ve nae had a woman in weeks,” he said. “Ye have no food, but ye do have a right pretty woman.”
    Aiden tensed. Rianna could feel his muscles tighten, all the while her heart pounded with terror against her chest.
    Shrugging as if he cared not what the men might wish to do to her, Aiden said, “Verra well,” as he left Rianna standing alone. “She be nae me wife anyway. An Inverness whore I picked up a few days ago.”
    Rianna’s mouth fell open as she watched him walk away. Beyond bewildered, she stood with mouth agape, terrified.
    Her eyes flew to the man by the fire, then to the man to her left. What had happened to her champion? Her protector? Did Aiden truly mean to leave her to these men? She would fight to her own death before she went to them willingly.
    She was about to tell them all just that when she heard Aiden unsheathe his sword. The sound of metal against leather broke through the quiet night. Before she could utter a word or move a muscle, Aiden had thrust his sword deep into he back of the man by the fire. Soundlessly, he fell forward into the flames, and a rapid heartbeat later, his clothes were on fire. But he did not scream nor cry out in agony, for he was already dead.
    Frozen with fear, all she could do was stand by and watch as the three men drew their own swords. The two on her right engaged Aiden, whilst the other man wrapped an arm around her waist and lifted her off the ground.
    “Nay!” she cried out. Caught off guard, she let her sgian dubh fall to the earth as she pounded on his arms. The man was dragging her toward the woods.
    He hadn’t taken three steps before Aiden was upon them. “Let her go and I’ll consider lettin’ ye live.”
    His voice was firm and unyielding. Her captor spun around and, to his utter disbelief, his companions lay dead on the ground.
    Rianna held her breath as she looked at Aiden. He hadn’t even broken a sweat. He looked so calm, so completely at ease. ’Twas the way he stared at the man, with such a deadly glare that she nearly fainted. Apparently, her captor was not an intelligent man.
    “I do nae think so,” he said. “Ye’ll kill me as soon as I let her go. But ye’ll regret it. We travel with twenty other men. They wait for our return.”
    Aiden arched a brow in disbelief. “Twenty?” he asked. “I dunnae care if ye travel with one hundred. I will kill ye all before I allow ye to harm on hair on the lass’s head.”
    “Back away!” the man barked out, tightening his hold on Rianna’s waist. He lifted his sword and held it against her throat. “I’ll kill her, I swear I will.”
    “And ye shall be dead before she hits the ground.”
    The man started backing away.
    “Rianna, my love, ye look tired,” Aiden said as his eyes bored into hers. “Would ye like to rest?”
    Rest? Had he gone mad? “Aiden, please, help me.”
    “I will lass,” he said with a smile that bordered on